Gen 25:32 And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?

Gen 25:32  And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?  Genesis 25 records the birth of Esau and Jacob. They were sons of Isaac and Rebekah. They were twins but not identical twins. They looked different (v.25, 26). They had different characters – Esau loved the outdoors while Jacob was homely (v.27). They had different temperament – Esau was impulsive while Jacob planned ahead (v.29-34). “One day Esau came back from hunting. He was tired and weak from hunger. Jacob was boiling a pot of beans. So Esau said to Jacob, "I am weak with hunger. Let me have some of that red soup." But Jacob said, "You must sell me your rights as the firstborn son."  Esau said, "I am almost dead with hunger, so what good are these rights to me now?" But Jacob said, "First, promise me that you will give them to me." So Esau made an oath to him and sold his rights as the firstborn son to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil soup. Esau ate the food, had something to drink, and then left” (v.29-34, ERV). Esau cared only about fulfilling his immediate satisfaction. His action showed that he did not care much about his rights as the firstborn son. The rights of the firstborn encompassed so much blessings. Esau did not think about the long-term benefits. In today’s term, we say he cashed out his insurance policy. The cash out payment is a meagre sum. If he had hold on to it till maturity, he would reap much more benefits and bonuses. I guess he did not want to continue to pay the premiums required to keep the policy; he just couldn’t wait. Aren’t we sometimes guilty of prematurely cashing out our “policy”? We bought a policy to go to heaven the day we made the good confession to believe in Jesus and be baptised for the remission of sins. It is a “policy” that pays only at maturity and the pay-out benefits are guaranteed to all: “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life” (Revelations 2:10). Is there a premium to pay? Yes, there is. What is the premium? “Be thou faithful unto death.” What does it mean to be faithful? Well, read the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-30. The servants with five and two talents received this commendation: “His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” They were deemed faithful because they were diligent in using the talents given to them. From this parable, we see that faith is something that we do and which can be seen by men and God. James concurs and writes: “Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works” (James 2:18). God wants us to work. Paul says “we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). Everything is made for a purpose. Likewise, God created us for a purpose. And, Paul says it is to do good works. Our faith is shown by our works. Our works are the premiums we must pay for our “policy” which will guarantee us a place in heaven (Matthew 7:21). Esau did not think his birthright was worth anything at all. Christians are children of God (Galatians 3:26). This name “Christian” is our birthright which guarantees us a place in heaven. Do not take this birthright lightly like Esau. Those who despise this birthright not only forfeit their passage to heaven, but also suffer a worse fate than others (2 Peter 2:21). Let us hold on to our birthright.